Meeting Place:We
will leave from Home Depot in Cleveland for the drive over to Tracy City.
Call Randy Morris at 423-650-0485 no later than 8:30 p.m. Friday evening to
get meeting time and/or further information.

Trail Description:Please note the date change above!! This hike will utilize
portions of three trails--the Grundy Day Loop, Dog Hole Trail and a portion
of the Fiery Gizzard Trail. We will eat lunch at Raven Point with a
beautiful view of Gizzard Cove (and hopefully great fall colors) after
enjoying fantastic rapids, a small waterfall and interesting rock
formations. We will avoid the rockiest portions of the Fiery Gizzard Trail
by climbing up the Dog Hole Trail, but the terrain is still quite rocky in
spots. We will also have several small wet weather creek crossings which are
easily rock hopped in all but torrential downpours. We will descend down
into the gorge, climb back out for the views and then descend again before
our eventual climb out to view a 500 year old hemlock (that is still very
much alive!) and a Rock House. Because of elevation gain/loss, distance and
the terrain I would definitely rate this hike a strenuous one.

Post-Trip Report:
On a cloudless fall day two hikers hiked Fiery Gizzard just outside of Tracy
City, TN. After a brisk start the day was absolutely gorgeous! We hiked
the entirety of the Grundy Day Loop, and out and back on the Dog Hole Trail.
We also utilized parts of the Fiery Gizzard trail. There was quite a bit of
water in the Fiery Gizzard and Little Fiery Gizzard Creeks (especially since
it was October), so we enjoyed the many cascades and small waterfalls of the
streams including Sycamore Falls—a relatively short but nice little
waterfall, as shown in the picture below. Although the fall colors were
just beginning to show well, we did enjoy some nice reds and golds, courtesy
of the sourwoods, blackgums and hickories in the area.

Raven Point provided a nice
place for lunch on our 9.5 mile journey. Our favorite sights, however, were
the magnificent old-growth hemlocks in the gorges—some estimated to be up to
500 years old—which do not seem affected by the adelgid as of yet. Enjoying
the day were new club member Buddy Arnold and hike leader Randy Morris.